Save [lives] first, and then we can have those debates politely over coffee when people aren’t dying… This is not a political issue. This should not be an ideological issue. This is simply people suffering on the streets and we need to help them.
—Kevin Dahlgren
As election-year conversations about fraud, waste, and abuse in the social services sector heat up, real-life examinations the problem and worthwhile solutions are often overlooked. That’s why I’m thrilled to share this must-listen conversation with veteran social services pro and independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren.
As a drug and alcohol counselor and outreach worker for over thirty years, Kevin’s work sits right at the nexus of America’s interlocking addiction, mental health, and homelessness crises. His experiences have given him rare insight into people and issues most Americans reflexively avoid looking at. Through searing photojournalism, first-person interviews, and street-level storytelling, his Substack reveals the raw truth of what’s happening on the ground in cities like Portland, Oregon.
In this interview and his writing more broadly, Kevin also exposes the deadly consequences of ideological capture in this field, where conformity to certain tenets of “social justice” has replaced common sense solutions for the urgent problems facing the people living and dying on America’s streets. Perhaps most importantly, he shares his ideas for better approaches to these crises, as well as actionable advice for frontline outreach workers, and for concerned citizens trying to discern which leaders and organizations deserve our votes and our money.
Some especially relevant reads from Truth on the Streets:
Chapters:
00:00 Convo preview
00:45 Introduction
02:51 The underlying causes fueling homelessness
04:32 The shift from social services to social justice
07:15 Understanding the Homelessness Industrial Complex
10:17 Why passion beats education in social services
13:30 Jargon debates and ideological distractions
16:50 Overcoming divisiveness & pursuing solutions
22:00 The complexity of harm reduction, & challenging “all-or-nothing” tribalism
25:55 The reality of addiction versus “bodily autonomy”
29:03 How “social justice” undermines effective outreach
32:04 Wisdom & compassion within the homeless population
34:46 Advice for outreach workers
38:42 Elements of effective approaches & advice for voters and donors
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